Improvement in planes for cutting blind-slats



UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

JOHN H. MILLER, OF OSKALOOSA, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PLANES FOR CUTTING BLINDSLATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 81,929, dated September8, 1 868.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MILLER, of Oskaloosa, in the county ofMahaska and the State of Iowa, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Machines for Splitting' Slats for Window-Shades; and I dohereby declare the following to be a clear, exact, and full descriptionthereof, sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which thisinvention appertains to fully understand and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspeciflcation, and in which- Figure 1 is a top view of the device,illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof. Fig. 3 is atransverse vertical section in the line .r x, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalgures.

This invention is a device for splitting slats for window-shades; andconsists in an arrangement of an adjustable knife, having itscutting-edge extended in a line diagonal to y that of the timber broughtagainst it, of a support havingk a groove to allow the split slat topass out, and of arms pivoted to the carriage to support and hold theuncut timber. These arms hold the timber against the knife, and tightenthemselves as the carriage advances, but readily release said timberwhen a slat is split or cut, or when occasion requires it. rlhe arms areadapted to hold the block or piece of timber equally well when it is rstcut as when the last slat is being split, as will be hereinafter morefully described.

In the drawings, A represents bed-plate, which is of ordinary form andconstruction. From one side thereof rises a support, B, to which issecured the knife C. The knife O consists of a liatstrip of suitablecutting-materia-l applied to the support or rest B diagonally, in thevertical line of the support, so that a diagonal cuttingedge ispresented to the timber. It' is readily adjusted by suitable set-screws,a, placed at proper points of the upper and lower ends of the knife. Agroove, E, extends the whole length of the inner face of the support orrest B, so as to leave a space between the knife and said support. Theknife is held in place by two plates, D, one at the top and the other atthe bottom of the said knife. Each plate is beveled from one end to theother, and has its narrow end on the side of the cutting-edge of theknife.

Now, it will be perceived that when the timber is brought up to theknife and advanced, it is cut or split into slats, which pass out alongthe groove E.

F represents the carriage, which is constructed as usual, to slide onthe bed, and should have suitable guides, to insuren a uniformity in itsmotion. On this bed I pivot, at suitable points, two arms, G, whichshould be slightly curved, and have their inner ends free. rEheir outerends are pivoted to a rod, H, which connects them together. The piece oftimber will lie on the carriage in contact with the free ends of the armG, and is then brought against the knife O. y

It will be perceived that the timber is firmly held. The pressure of thearms against it increases in the forward motion of -the carriage, and isreadily relieved by merely throwing back the arms.

When the slat is out, it passes out through the passage D, while theuncut timber re` mains on the carriage, to be returned, ready foranother forward movement. It is at once brought in line with the knifeby merely operating the rod H in the proper direction, and is as firmlyheld asin the previous case. The operation is continued until the lastslat is split.

The arms G perform their functions equally well without regard to thethickness of the timber, and therefore are simple, practical, anduseful. Y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The pivoted arms Gr and eonnectingrod H upon the carriage F, whenconstructed and operating substantially as and for the purposespecified.

To the above I have signed my name the 29th day of February, 1868.

JOHN H. MILLER.'

Witnesses:

J noon HENRY, CHAs. D. SMITH.

